1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cigarette case with an electrical lighter which may be mounted on an automobile dashboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many persons who drive automobiles like to smoke cigarettes while driving. However, a driver may be distracted from the task of driving while he/she looks for a pack of cigarettes, removes a cigarette from the pack, heats a standard automobile lighter, and inhales on the cigarette while pressing the heated portion of the lighter to the end of the cigarette. Consequently, there is a need for a cigarette case which may be mounted on an automobile dashboard and which has an electric lighter contained within it which dispenses a lighted cigarette easily and safely.
A number of cigarette cases having cigarette lighters have been devised. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,492 to Senkewich appears to show a rectangular shaped cigarette case with an electrical lighter for use in an automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,751 to Climent appears to show a cylinder shaped cigarette case and lighter device with a plurality of holes for storing cigarettes and means to rotate the device to align it with the lighter of a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,902 to Ping appears to show a cigarette case comprised of a row of sockets for storing cigarettes and includes a spiral coil for igniting the cigarettes.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to produce a cigarette case with an electric lighter which provides a driver of an automobile with a lit cigarette, without the distractions of looking for a pack of cigarettes, removing a cigarette from the pack, heating a standard automobile lighter, and igniting the cigarette by inhaling on a cigarette while pressing the heated portion of the lighter to the end of the cigarette. Accordingly, the cigarette case provides the driver of an automobile with a lit cigarette without any of the aforementioned distractions, simply by pressing down upon a switch which loads its electric lighter with a fresh cigarette while activating the lighter. A thermocouple release the cigarette once lit.
It is another object of the invention to produce a cigarette case with electric lighter which can be conveniently placed where a driver may easily reach for a cigarette. Accordingly, the cigarette case with electric lighter has two attachment brackets located upon its rear surface, whereby the case may be firmly attached to two attachment hooks which have been positioned on the automobile dashboard.
It is yet another object of the invention to produce a cigarette case which is capable of producing a number of lit cigarettes without the need for frequently refilling the case with cigarettes. Accordingly, the case holds a plurality of cigarettes, and does not require frequent refilling.
It is still another object of the invention to produce a cigarette case with electrical lighter wherein the lighter is powered by the automobile itself. Accordingly, the electric lighter has an electric cord which terminates in a standard lighter adaptor which may be plugged into a standard cigarette lighter outlet for powering the electric lighter.
It is additionally an object of the invention to produce a cigarette case which provides a driver with a lit cigarette which may be easily grasped by the user. Accordingly, the electric lighter has a small coiled spring which causes the lit cigarette to partially protrude from an opening on the top of the case, where it may be easily grasped by the user.
The invention is an automobile cigarette case with electrical lighter for dispensing lit cigarettes to the driver of an automobile, having a substantially rectangular case housing which is selectively mountable on the dashboard of an automobile. The case housing contains an electric lighter having an electrical cord which terminates in a lighter adaptor which may be plugged into a standard cigarette lighter outlet for powering of the electric lighter. The case with electrical lighter has a cigarette passageway which holds a plurality of cigarettes and directs and biases the cigarettes toward the electric lighter whereupon they are ignited. After the cigarette has been ignited, a coiled lighter spring is allowed to expand, and thereby raises the unlit end of the cigarette so that it partially protrudes from an opening on top of the case housing, where it may be easily grasped by a user.